Monday, 14 May: I usually wake up between 6.30 and 7.00 and just lie in bed thinking for at least an hour or sometimes I read (advantage of working for yourself: time is flexible). If I got up earlier I could get this diary done each day before work. Continue reading
Long weekend, Saturday 5, May – Monday, 7 May: Spent all three days reading. Newspapers: I don’t usually read them except when I travel – and I don’t travel much. Then I read them from cover to cover. I prefer surveys in book form, e.g. environment: Lovelock, Mark Lynas, Jared diamond; politics/human rights: John Pilger, Gareth Pierce, Jung Chang – and for real solidity and overview: Bertrand Russell. I’ve been reading him for years; recommend “Freedom and Organization 1815-1914” and “The Problem of China”. Continue reading
I just don’t have time to answer all your letters except every now and again, but I do read them. In lieu of this, I have decided the best thing to do is to write a quick diary each day.
Friday, 27 April: Came home after a glorious day with Juergen Teller shooting Stella Tennant for our publicity campaign. We had worked exhaustively over days to prepare it and it went well. Stella was marvellous. Inspired by Velasquez, we created an atmosphere of 17th century interiors. Continue reading
What we’re talking about regarding climate change refugees is total chaos, where natural disasters are more intense and more often. The world is giving us this warning of more horror to come. Continue reading
Shell has been extracting oil in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria for over 50 years. They are the major operator there and have made billions and billions of dollars out of the country. And what have the people of the Niger Delta received in return? For the vast majority, they have been subjected to grinding poverty, little access to clean water, a polluted environment and ongoing violence and conflict. Continue reading
As a postscript to ‘Painted Ladies’, and its theme of the connection between paintings and fashion, I took in our recent ‘Gold Label’ collection the 17th century fashion for having your portrait painted as if you had just got out of bed. Continue reading
I was invited to the University of Cambridge to take part in an evening organised by the Cambridge Dialectic Society. The discussion was concerned with ‘The Role of the Art Lover in addressing issues of the 21st Century’ and I was joined by Lauren Parker, Senior curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the artist, Mark Ariel Walker.
The evening began with an interview done by the students for VarsiTV and was followed by a dinner where the Q&A following the presentation continued – it was a good experience and I enjoyed the students’ questions and comments very much. You can watch more here
The weekend before Easter, Andreas and I went to Madrid for three days and, apart from one morning when we visited the superb Thyssen Collection, we spent each day in the Prado – we had promised ourselves for so long to visit Velasquez. Continue reading
